From a bar that brings back the look of old New York City to a modern design in Nashville, these bars don't just serve the best drinks—they do so in a space that's like no other

What any bar owner will tell you is that it’s not hard to make a drink. Rather, what’s difficult is cultivating an environment that embraces eye-catching design. When this design is done well, it sets the bar into an echelon of its own, bringing in locals and design lovers alike. Borrowing inspiration from eclectic pockets around the globe as well as the infusion of arts-oriented boutique hotels, these bars epitomize the fact that slipping into a lounge for a drink doesn’t have to be ordinary. Below, AD surveys the best-designed bar in every state, from Birmingham, Alabama, to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. What may surprise some readers is that the most beautiful spaces are not in the biggest cities (as some might expect), but rather, in such locales as Tulsa and Green Bay. Bottoms up!

151

The Rx Lounge at Hotel Indigo Birmingham (Birmingham, Alabama)

Making an apothecary theme fun, this bar inside a 1930s Art Deco-style building—which was once medical offices across from Birmingham’s first apothecary—features untouched medical insignias, vintage medical instruments, and old medical books cast in the quartz countertops.

Tucked into the Aurora Ice Museum is this ice bar where even the martini glass is carved out of ice. Stools are covered in caribou fur, and a fireplace keeps things cozy.

Photo: Gaertner / Alamy Stock Photo

351

The Bar at Hearth ’61 at Mountain Shadows (Paradise Valley, Arizona)

This midcentury-modern-themed resort reopened last year, as did the Bar at Hearth ’61, riffing on its 1959 roots. Patrons are treated to floor-to-ceiling windows and a very chic suspended fireplace, not to mention open-slat bucket chairs with pretty blue cushions.

Photo: Courtesy of The Bar at Hearth ’61 at Mountain Shadows/Mark Boisclair Photography

451

The Hive at 21C Museum Hotel (Bentonville, Arkansas)

Take in the contemporary art at the Hive’s bar and lounge—including the “BuzzKill” installation emulating bees and honeycombs—while sipping cocktails like “Hive N’ Dime” and “Kentucky Daisey” and, of course, bourbon.

Photo: Courtesy of The Hive at 21C Museum Hotel/Stephen Ironside

551

Kimpton La Peer Hotel (West Hollywood, California)

Kimpton’s newest hotel, La Peer, which opened earlier this year, flaunts a lot of masculine black and gold decor, including the bar’s modern onyx pendant lighting.

Photo: Courtesy of the Kimpton La Peer Hotel/Laure Joliet

651

Poka Lola Social Club (Denver, Colorado)

The eyes are moving when you walk in this space, from the black-and-white geometric flooring to the stained-glass transomlike windows above the bar. Outfitted by Jun Aizaki Creme Design, the narrow wood slats on the floor and Danish-style barstools help light bounce around in a spot inspired by vintage soda fountains.

Photo: Courtesy of Poka Lola Social Club/Adam Larkey

751

__ ARTISAN (West Hartford, Connecticut)__

ARTISAN is a light-filled bar inside the Delamar hotel. The interiors feature a hand-painted mural of tobacco leaves grown in New England, and Mason-jar light fixtures as pendant lighting.

Photo: Courtesy of The Delamar

851

Brewings & Eats (Rehoboth Beach, Delaware)

It's owned and operated by Dogfish Head Brewery, so naturally, that’s what’s on tap at this year-old brewpub, but so is the raw design (from fishbowl-glass windows to barrel booths) as well as art hung on the walls and, on some nights, live music.

Photo: Jeramey Lende / Alamy Stock Photo

951

Monkitail at the Diplomat Hotel + Resort (Hollywood Beach, Florida)

Sushi is anything but casual in the lobby bar of the Diplomat Hotel + Resort, with details like Japanese shou-sugi-ban charred wood planks on the walls and Kenya black marble countertops.

Photo: Courtesy of the Monkitail at The Diplomat Hotel + Resort

1051

The Lobby Bar at the Hotel Clermont (Atlanta, Georgia)

Art Deco (bronze) meets the 70s (rattan bucket chairs) in this bar inside Hotel Clermont, open since June 2018.

Photo: Asher Moss

1151

Hideout at the Laylow (Honolulu, Hawaii)

Tying into vintage Hawaii, the bar at the Laylow features engineered-marble countertops and bright-yellow paint for a sort of haute Tiki vibe.

Photo: Courtesy of the Hideout at The Laylow/Ramon C. Purcell Photography

1251

Hotel Ketchum’s The Hangout (Ketchum, Idaho)

Carved into this Sun Valley boutique hotel is the perfect après-ski spot with nature-inspired wallpaper (check out those ‘shrooms and deer) plus furnishings born out of tree stumps or cowhide.

Photo: Courtesy of Hotel Ketchum’s The Hangout/Ray J. Gadd

1351

Cindy’s at Chicago Athletic Association (Chicago, Illinois)

Boasting one of the best views in town—of Millennium Park and the Lake Michigan shoreline—Cindy’s is perfectly situated in the rooftop space of this former men’s club turned hotel in 2015.

Photo: Courtesy of the Chicago Athletic Association Hotel

1451

The Hoppy Gnome (Fort Wayne, Indiana)

Dangling Edison bulbs above the bar help to soften the industrial space, which was designed by Design Collaborative.

Photo: Courtesy of The Hoppy Gnome

1551

Gene’s at Graduate Iowa City (Iowa City, Iowa)

Proving that the '70s are still cool, this bar named for Gene Wilder—and near the University of Iowa, where he once attended classes—rocks macramé, stained-glass lamps, and knotty-pine chairs. It opened in June 2018.

Photo: Gene’s at Graduate Iowa City/Christian Horan Photography

1651

Lark A’Fare (Lawrence, Kansas)

A newcomer to this college town, Lark A’Fare’s all-day drinking concept features cocktails artfully paired with cuisine and with a Heartland twist (like a highball crafted with Kansas City whiskey and lemongrass) served in an airy space that includes wheat-motif wallpaper.

Photo: Courtesy of the Lark A’Fare

1751

Proof on Main at 21C Museum Hotel (Louisville, Kentucky)

Within the arts-oriented 21C Museum hotel is this funky bar-restaurant concept with rotating installations like animal sculptures or hand-painted Asian baskets jutting out from the walls, plus fun wallpaper patterns.

Photo: Courtesy of Proof on Main at 21C Museum Hotel

1851

Bar at the Drifter (New Orleans, Louisiana)

This vintage 1956 motel—which reopened a year ago—has been turned it on its head with modern twists; one such example is the lobby bar, where oversized milk-glass pendants provide lighting and potted palms bring the outdoors in.

Photo: Nicole Franzen

1951

Portland Hunt + Alpine Club (Portland, Maine)

With a husband-and-wife duo at the helm who just published their debut cookbook, Portland Hunt + Alpine Club blends in Scandinavian-design accents, from the modern wire animal heads and Nelson lights to communal tables.

Photo: Courtesy of Portland Hunt + Alpine Club/Meredith Perdue

2051

Bluebird Cocktail Room (Baltimore, Maryland)

This bar’s library theme extends to leather-bound books lining the fireplace and also gold illustrations on the navy bar and walls (depicting characters written about during the Lost Generation, those who came of age during World War I).

Hearkening back to retro Detroit, particularly its jazz clubs, this brand-new bar inside Siren Hotel—which opened last spring—is awash in pink, made even more dramatic under dim lighting.

Photo: Christian Harder

2351

Tullibee (Minneapolis, Minnesota)

Two years ago, the Hewing Hotel debuted inside an 1897 former farm-implement showroom. Scandinavian-inspired updates to the brick warehouse included Tullibee’s decor—large glass jars of preserved foods and woods with rich grains are just two of the aspects that make it cozy.

Photo: Courtesy of Tullibee

2451

The Wilbur (Ocean Springs, Mississippi)

Riffing on the nearby coastline’s driftwood, the bar inside the Wilbur features walls crafted from distressed wood, plus pretty blue walls under the bar and see-through chair backs.

Photo: The Wilbur/Christy Ryan

2551

Cinder House Four Seasons St. Louis (St. Louis, Missouri)

Open since late August 2018, Cinder House’s restaurant-bar boasts a view of the Gateway Arch from its eighth-floor perch thanks to walls of windows. Blue Amazonian countertops and turquoise leather sofas are just two hints of the designers being inspired by South America.

Photo: Cinder House Four Seasons St. Louis/Greg Rannells

2651

Everett’s 8800 (Big Sky, Montana)

Jazzing up traditional timber beams in this bar—at 8,800 feet, hence its name—are Edison bulbs in the chandelier as well as pendant lighting above the bar.

Photo: Everett’s 8800/Ryan Day Thompson

2751

Monarch Prime & Bar (Omaha, Nebraska)

Warm tones in velvet fabrics and a dramatic, photolike wall of flora are but two examples at this bar—which celebrates its one-year anniversary this fall—of how the design team was inspired by the Machine Age.

Photo: Courtesy of Monarch Prime & Bar

2851

Camden Cocktail Lounge at the PALMS Casino Resort (Las Vegas, Nevada)

Sin City’s bar scene is competitive—both for drinks and design. What makes Camden a showstopper is the design emanating from all corners, including the ceiling, with staggered pendant lighting. The monochromatic gold palette is easy on the eyes, too.

Photo: Anthony Mair

2951

The Glen House (Gorham, New Hampshire)

The Glen House, a brand new hotel in northeast New Hampshire, also features a beautifully designed bar. The space has the feel of a new-age cabin, an ambiance only enhanced by panoramic views of Mt. Washington.

Photo: Courtesy of The Glen House

3051

The Asbury Hotel (Asbury Park, New Jersey)

The lobby bar at this coastal town (that’s in the middle of a revamp, if you haven’t been to Asbury Park lately) features blond woods and lots of natural lighting, plus surprise decor like a ladder to access the built-in bookshelves and unique custom-designed furnishings.

Photo: Courtesy of The Asbury Hotel

3151

The Spaniard (New York, New York)

Owned by the same team behind such gastropub successes as Bua, the Wren, and Wilfie & Nell, The Spaniard is located on the corner of West 4th Street and Barrow in New York's busting West Village neighborhood. Designed by Home Studios, the aesthetic has a feel of the old, iconic New York (think Keens and P.J. Clarke’s). The horseshoe bar is divided in two, with the front more welcoming for a happy-hour crowd, while the back is more intimate, with charming green leather booths. Enjoy a drink from the extensive whiskey selection while sitting on comfortable custom barstools, which feature upholstery in the pinks and mauves that are true to old Irish pubs.

3251

Tonic Santa Fe (Santa Fe, New Mexico)

Navy and golden-yellow hues—plus a soaring crystal chandelier—drive the retro jazz-club aesthetic (mostly Orientalist Egypt, with nods to Art Deco) at this bar, open since the fall of 2017.

Photo: Robert Muller

3351

The Ryal at Ballantyne, a Luxury Collection Hotel (Charlotte, North Carolina)

With its gold detailing, custom-tufted carpet and plush seating, the Ryal—within the newly renovated hotel, which was named for the Ballantyne neighborhood, and the bar named after currency used during James VI of Scotland’s reign—is a cozy spot.

Photo: Courtesy of The Ryal at Ballantyne

3451

Mezzaluna (Fargo, North Dakota)

This date-night spot is also where Fargo residents know to get a good cocktail, in an industrial brick building dating back to the early 1900s, its interior now marked by ceiling-height wood columns and seashell-shaped chairs.

Photo: Dan Francis Photography

3551

VASO at AC Hotel Dublin (Dublin, Ohio)

Looking more like Hollywood or Manhattan, not the tiny town of Dublin, Ohio, this rooftop lounge’s floor-to-ceiling windows overlook the Scioto River, the design was at the hands of a general manager who was inspired by his time at the St. Regis in Washington, D.C.

Within this boutique hotel—part of the Provenance Hotels collection—and just off the lobby, Portland’s own Lightning Bar Collective added customized lighting from Rejuvenation (another hometown company) to cast a soft glow to the bar’s walnut ceiling and black-and-white marble flooring.

Photo: Opal Bar at Dossier/Dina Avila

3851

Louie Louie (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

Proof that Art Deco has never slipped out of style, this new restaurant and bar (open since July 2018) has canary-yellow booth-style seating with petal-pink wall accents and other features such as psychedelic floor patterns.

To transform this hookah bar for a new chapter, the designer borrowed inspiration from the Casablanca film and the ambiance of a French café, adding mohair upholstery and antiques from Paris, along with revealing the original barrel ceiling and its elegant gold-leaf detailing.

Photo: Andrew Cebulka

4151

Vertex Sky Bar at Alex Johnson Hotel (Rapid City, South Dakota)

The view of Rapid City doesn’t get much better than from the rooftop bar at Alex Johnson Hotel, where a fireplace keeps things cozy and half walls of glass bleed into the natural surroundings.

Ornate chandeliers, whitewashed walls, and icy blue paint trim remind visitors of Cuba’s largest city at Ocho, one of two bars tucked into Hotel Havana, within a 1912 Mediterranean Revival building.

Photo: Nick Simonite

4451

White Horse Spirits and Kitchen (Salt Lake City, Utah)

With a retractable garage door and exposed redbrick walls throughout, White Horse—which opened two summers ago—sports an industrial edge. Patrons hang out in tall-back tufted-leather booths among antique fixtures and chandeliers.

Photo: Courtesy of the White Horse Spirits and Kitchen

4551

Grizzly’s at Stratton Mountain Resort (Stratton, Vermont)

Vermont is known for its barns, which is why local barnlike woods were woven into Grizzly’s design for a rustic vibe, perfect for après-ski. Live music takes advantage of the timber framing and vaulted ceilings.

Photo: Courtesy of Grizzly’s at Stratton Mountain Resort

4651

Lumac Rooftop Bar at the Bristol (Bristol, Virginia)

Life at the Bristol is pretty sweet thanks to the scenic perch at Lumac Rooftop Bar (open since October), where you can see the Smoky and the Appalachian Mountains, while kicking back under strung lights and on a mod-print sofa.

Photo: Lumac Rooftop Bar at The Bristol/Cheryl Zibisky

4751

Deep Dive (Seattle, Washington)

Earlier this year, Amazon’s Spheres opened in downtown Seattle, and now local chef Renee Erickson has added a place to imbibe within, adding wood paneling, boho-chic furnishings, and tchotchkes tucked into built-ins.

Photo: Suzi Pratt

4851

The Next Whiskey Bar at the Watergate Hotel (Washington, D.C.)

Since its 2016 reopening, the Watergate Hotel has proven a hotel can rise above an historic scandal. In the Next Whisky Bar, rosy-red chairs take in the view of 2,500 whiskey bottles in an artful arrangement (an undulating wall).

Photo: Courtesy of The Next Whiskey Bar at The Watergate Hotel/Ron Blunt

4951

Pies and Pints (Fayetteville, West Virginia)

Serving craft beer and pizza, Pies and Pints’ locale in historic downtown Fayetteville is also near New River Gorge National Park. Painting over the brick exterior with a deep blue hue makes the logo pop.

Photo: Nick Maslen / Alamy Stock Photo

5051

Taverne in the Sky (Green Bay, Wisconsin)

Would you expect anything less than jaw-dropping design from Kohler, a luxury plumbing manufacturer? Taverne in the Sky—with its yellow-gold backlighting and glass-jar pendant lamps—is perched on top of Lodge Kohler, across from Lambeau Field, home to the Green Bay Packers.

Photo: Courtesy of Taverne in the Sky

5151

Glorietta (Jackson Hole, Wyoming)

Anvil Hotel’s debut last year included Glorietta, the restaurant-bar inside this reboot of a 49-room motel that folds in milk-glass light pendants, moss-green walls, and the timeless aesthetic of wood furnishings.